AMHERST, N.H. (WHDH) - A disabled giant tortoise has a new way to show that slow and steady wins the race thanks to a New Hampshire-based nonprofit that provides mobility devices to animals of all shapes and sizes.
George Bailey, an 11-year-old Sulcata Tortoise who was saved from an exotic animal rescue in Knoxville, Tennssee, was born with a metabolic bone disease — meaning his bones never fully developed in his back legs, leaving them weak and unable to support his own weight.
His owner said the bigger he’s gotten, the more difficult this has been for him. He currently weighs close to 70 pounds, but may grow to weigh over 200 pounds.
VIDEO: Watch George Bailey Take His First Steps in His Walkin’ Wheels Tortoise Wheelchair
Since a Sulcata Tortoise can live to be more than 100 years old, George’s owner knew she needed to find a solution to help him to walk on his own.
That’s when she found Walkin’ Pets, the Amherst, New Hampshire-based pet mobility company that had previously built a custom wheelchair for a much smaller tortoise.
The company designed a custom tortoise wheelchair with a special base featuring a convex support structure to accommodate the natural contour of George’s undershell and a harnessing system designed to expand with George as he grows.
His owner says that George took to his new wheels right away, “George’s Walkin’ Wheels wheelchair is amazing! I put George on it, and he is able to move himself around!”
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